Betrayed By One. Bound To Three-Chapter 14: Attacked.

Selena

I panicked. The first thought that came to my mind was Silas. Was he with them? Was he here to finish what he had started?

That bastard.

The air around the clearing had thickened into something heavy and oppressive, charged with a presence I couldn’t see but felt sinking into my skin and tightening in my chest.

The shadows moved closer with each passing minute, and I was at a loss for what I needed to do.

My heart slammed against my ribs, like it was trying to tear its way out of my chest.

For a moment, I just let myself breathe, sniffing the air to see if Silas was with them, but I got nothing, which meant he wasn’t.

Though a flicker of relief surged through me, it wasn’t enough to erase the fact that they were still dangerous. I had no way of knowing how deeply Silas had already twisted them against me.

Instinctively, I moved toward my mates, who were already getting themselves ready to attack.

"No," I said, stepping forward without thinking. "Wait. Please. Don’t."

Kael’s hand closed around my wrist, firm and grounding, stopping me mid-step.

"They’re my people," I said, panic breaking into my voice. "Those are my pack warriors. They’re not enemies. They’re not threats. Please don’t hurt them. Please don’t kill them."

Ronan moved in front of me, instinctive and protective, his body positioning itself like a shield without him even thinking about it.

"Selena," he said calmly, but his voice wasn’t the same voice from the fire.

"You need to go inside."

"I’m not leaving," I said desperately. "I won’t."

Edris turned toward me.

And the world narrowed.

Not because he moved fast.

But when he looked at me, everything else seemed to fall away.

"Get inside the cabin," he said calmly, but his voice left no room for argument.

My heart pounded as a million ways this night could go wrong flashed through my head.

Kael stepped closer. "We won’t hurt anybody if they don’t come for us."

Ronan’s hands came to my shoulders, warm and grounding. "You trust us, right?"

I hesitated. Not because I didn’t trust them, but because the uncertainty of how this night could end terrified me.

"I do," I whispered.

"Then get inside," he said.

Ronan and Kael followed me to the cabin door and opened it for me.

I stumbled inside as my heart kept pounding, panic vibrating through my limbs.

"Do not come out," Kael said, his voice no longer gentle, no longer soft, no longer warm. "No matter what you hear."

Fear surged up my spine. "What are you going to do?"

He didn’t answer.

He turned back to join his brothers.

Before I closed the door, I heard Edris talking with them.

"Whatever happens," Edris said, his voice low, cold, and absolute, "no one gets past us to the cabin."

Ronan and Kael nodded in agreement. I closed the door and ran to the window, desperate to see what was happening.

My body trembled uncontrollably, forcing me to brace myself against the wall for balance.

Outside, the fire still burned.

The flames danced as if nothing had changed.

But everything had changed. The once-empty woods were now filled with dangerous-looking men stepping into the firelight.

At first glance, one could mistake them for our pack warriors, but they weren’t.

These men were armed, marked, and wearing symbols identical to our pack. From their expressions, it was clear they were there for blood.

Goosebumps formed on my skin as the thought of one of my mates getting hurt made my wolf restless.

Then the triplets, who had been watching the men emerge from the woods all this while, suddenly shifted.

Shifting came easily to them. One minute, they were men. Next, they were big black vicious wolves who looked capable of tearing down anything in their path.

Their size stole my breath. My wolf howled proudly in my head as their mere presence seemed to crush the air.

Theydidn’t attack right away. They waited, and in that pause, I realized they had listened to my plea.

They waited.

Low growls vibrated through the clearing, deep and resonant, rolling through the earth like thunder under stone.

The warriors advanced closer to them, flashing their fangs and claws.

The moment an arrow cut through the air toward them, everything shattered.

The clearing exploded into movement.

Shouts tore through the night.

Metal clashed.

Bodies collided.

Snarls ripped through the air.

My mates moved like shadows given form. They didn’t rush blindly. They didn’t scatter.

They moved with coordination, blocking paths, redirecting attackers, and positioning themselves between the men and the cabin.

They weren’t trying to slaughter them. They were trying to hold them back, but the warriors kept pushing their luck.

Blood splattered across the dirt.

A man screamed. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Another fell.

But then a blade caught one of them.

Kael.

A sharp, clean slice across his side, and blood soaked into his fur.

His body staggered as a small yelp slipped from his lips.

Something primal snapped inside Edris in that instant. The moment Edris saw Kael spill blood, the fight changed.

It stopped being defense.

It became execution.

Edris tore through them with steady, precise movements that sent blood splashing across the clearing.

Necks snapped. Throats ripped. Lifeless bodies fell helplessly to the ground.

Ronan and Kael followed, their movements no longer restrained, no longer controlled, no longer careful.

The clearing transformed into a blood-soaked battlefield.

Blood darkened the ground.

The firelight reflected off red-slicked skin and fur.

The screams faded one by one.

Until only one man remained. He appeared weak, bleeding, broken, and begging.

My mates shifted back into human form.

They stood over him, breathing hard, bodies streaked with blood, eyes burning with something feral and cold.

Kael grabbed the man by the collar and slammed him into the dirt.

"Who sent you?" Edris asked in a low, deadly voice.

The man sobbed. "Please. I don’t want to die. I swear. I don’t want to die."

"Who sent you," Edris repeated, his voice flat and emotionless.

"They said they’d kill us if we failed," the man cried. "They said—"

"Confess," Edris said calmly, "or die."

The man shook violently.

"They sent us for the princess of the Blood Moon pack," he sobbed.

My blood went cold.

Edris crouched lower. "Who sent you. And why were you disguised as pack warriors?"

The man opened his mouth, and for a moment I feared that he would say Silas’s name.

Without thinking twice, I opened the door and walked outside.

"Selena, get back inside," Ronan shouted.

Too late.

The man’s gaze snapped to me, wild and desperate.

Something desperate and feral lit in his eyes. The man that appeared weak and dying just moment ago, immediately shifted and lunged towards me.